Chapter 15 — Female Lawyer and Torn Will

Based on the testimony of Mr. Dinh Van Sang, Duy Bach officially proposed to reopen the criminal investigation file on Dam Quoc Viet's death, with the approval of the prosecutor's office after reviewing all new details. Dam Quoc Hung was summoned to give official testimony as a related suspect, no longer simply a witness as before.

During the interrogation that lasted for many hours, Quoc Hung initially firmly denied that he had tampered with the brakes on his brother's car, but when faced with the entire chain of evidence - the clear financial motive from the embezzlement, the opportunity to access the car after the mechanic left, and Mr. Sang's detailed testimony - he gradually lost his initial steadfastness.

"I just intended to weaken the car's brakes a little, enough for him to have a small problem on the road, causing Viet to stop in the middle of the road, delaying his business trip, giving me more time to convince him not to tell his father," Quoc Hung finally confessed, his voice cracking with tears. "I never thought the consequences would be so serious that it would completely lose control on the slippery mountain pass on a rainy night. I just wanted more time, not that I wanted it to die!"

This confession, although somewhat downplaying the level of intent, still confirms that Quoc Hung himself intentionally interfered with the car's braking system, leading directly to his younger brother's death. With these circumstances, prosecutors determined that this was an act with elements of intentional danger leading to fatal consequences, a serious crime that Quoc Hung will have to face in court, along with accusations of property embezzlement spanning twenty-five years.

With his client's complete collapse, lawyer Cao Nguyen Bang was forced to withdraw the entire lawsuit challenging the validity of the new will, as well as withdrawing the argument that Mr. Vinh Thanh was incompetent when making the will. "In this situation, I no longer have any legal basis to continue representing my client in the inheritance dispute," he officially informed the court, his voice filled with the fatigue of a person who had just witnessed the entire legal strategy he had worked so hard to build collapse in the face of irrefutable evidence. Before leaving Tue Minh's office after the final meeting to hand over some administrative procedures, he stopped at the door and turned to look at her with a complicated look. "I have practiced law for more than twenty years, Ms. Minh, and rarely have I met an opponent who is as sharp in argument and as steadfast in his professional conscience as you. I believe my former client, no matter how much it costs, will eventually realize that the justice you seek is the best thing that can happen to this entire family, no matter how painful it is."

This news, when officially announced to the Dam clan, dealt a final stunning blow to what remained of family unity. Thanh Nha, upon hearing the news, cried for many hours, not only because of losing the image of her eldest brother whom she once respected, but also because she realized that her entire childhood had been covered by secrets and crimes that she had never known.

Dam Anh Vu, when he learned the full truth about his father's death, had a much more complicated feeling - both the vindication that he and his mother had never dared to dream of, and the pain of knowing that it was his uncle who directly caused that tragedy.

"I don't know how to feel," Anh Vu said to Tue Minh when she came to break the news, his voice quiet and thoughtful. "A part of me felt relieved because the truth was finally revealed, my father was finally vindicated after twenty-five years of being forgotten. But another part of me felt pain when I realized that the person who caused all these tragedies was my own blood, the person I should have called uncle."

"That complicated feeling is completely natural," Tue Minh replied, her voice filled with sincere sympathy. "Justice and pain sometimes go together, inseparable. The important thing is, you now have the right to know the whole truth, and can choose to move forward in the direction you think is best for yourself, no longer bound by secrets or lies."

That afternoon, Tue Minh visited Mrs. Sau Cam at the family villa, where she continued to take care of the house even though both Quoc Hung and Kim Yen were facing prison sentences. The old housekeeper sat quietly in the living room, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked out at the familiar garden that had been with her for more than forty years.

"I never thought it would end this way," she said as Tue Minh sat down next to her. "I have watched this family go from its prosperous early days to now seeing it almost completely collapse because of the secrets we kept together for so long."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Mrs. Cam," Tue Minh said gently. "She did what she thought was best in her situation, and in the end, it was her courage in deciding to tell the truth that helped justice be served, helping both Thanh Nha and Anh Vu find their rightful place in this story."

Mrs. Sau Cam nodded, a sad smile flashing across her old face. "I just hope, from this rubble, Dam's family can rebuild something better, more honest, for the next generations," she said. "Mr. Vu and Miss Nha, they deserve a new start, not weighed down by the secrets and sins of the past."

When leaving the villa, Tue Minh stopped for a moment in front of the gate, looking up at the ancient house that had witnessed many ups and downs of the Dam family for many generations. She thought about the journey that had taken her—from the scraps of paper in a small wooden box, to an entire complex story of forbidden love, greed, betrayal, and, finally, a painful but necessary truth that would pave the way for true justice and healing.

The formal hearing on the validity of the new will, now bolstered by a whole chain of evidence and full confessions from both Kim Yen and Quoc Hung, is set to take place within the next two weeks. With the truth now completely clear, Tue Minh knows that the most difficult part of the legal battle is almost behind, but a new journey — the journey of healing and rebuilding a fairer, more meaningful future for all involved — is still ahead, requiring not only legal ingenuity, but also human understanding and tolerance.

That evening, Tue Minh called Duy Bach, recounting everything that had happened that day — from Quoc Hung's confession, the heartbreaking reactions of Thanh Nha and Anh Vu, to the confiding conversation with Ms. Sau Cam. “I felt like I had just gone through a long battle, but I didn't feel as complete a sense of victory as I had imagined,” she said, her voice thoughtful.

"That's because true justice rarely brings a simple, complete victory," Duy Bach replied, his voice deeply understanding. "It often comes with inevitable losses and pain, especially when it involves blood relationships. But the important thing is that, thanks to her, the truth is finally revealed, and innocent people — Thanh Nha, Anh Vu, even the soul of the deceased Quoc Viet — finally receive what they deserve, albeit late."

"I just hope that after all this pain, something good will actually be built," Tue Minh said, her eyes looking out the apartment window, where the city at night still sparkled with distant lights. "I believe, that is what Mr. Vinh Thanh wanted most when he decided to amend his will in the last days of his life - not only justice for the past, but also a new, more honest beginning, for all future generations of the Dam family."

"And I believe, with your guidance, it can completely become a reality," Duy Bach said, his voice warm and encouraging. "Let's go through the rest of the journey ahead together, Ms. Minh — both at work and in each of our personal lives."